Disappearing Hurricane
by neuroi
Summary: Another Strike Witches OC story.


The sun beat down harshly, enveloping the girl in an invisible fire. Her hunger distracted her from the heat. It made her forget her name, the essence of her being. Birds soared by, but she knew they would be of no help to her. She had tried time and time again to stone them - she had used lures, makeshift slingshots - anything she could think of to get some meat into her stomach. But nothing had worked. The birds continued to elude her, and she had gone hungry for a time which she could not muster the energy to search her memory for. She had lain in the sun since yesterday morning, trying to maintain some semblance of warmth within her on the breezy island. She had not realized that she would be unable to stand by the time the heat started to make the air distort and twist into a shape which made her think of sizzling bacon on her mother's stove. She was fortunate to be able to remember that much. Otherwise, her thoughts were a blank slate. More birds went by. These birds looked strange. Perhaps the heat and the hunger were altering her perception. The birds looked longer and slimmer than the gulls that had taunted her. Maybe they were angels, coming from heaven to retrieve her soul from her dying body. They seemed to be approaching her, and as they drew closer, the sound of machinery whirring became more and more apparent, until the sound stopped altogether. She started to phase out the sounds that followed. She had no more energy to hear the dull sounds surrounding her, until a voice roused her from her half sleep.

"Eat this." A feminine voice, small and gentle, offered her unfamiliar food. Regardless, she devoured it without hesitation. It was just enough to recharge her senses, reminding her of who she was. She realized that she didn't want to remember.

"Where did you come from?" The voice spoke slowly. As the girl opened her eyes, she noticed that they were not alone together. Two others loomed over her.

"Uuu... Karlsland..." She replied. Her voice trailed off in a groan. She sounded as if she might already be dead.

"Karlsland? You're a ways off from there, kid." One of the other girls spoke, her voice raspier and harsher.

"My father... We were on our way to Fuso to escape the Neuroi... Our ship sank not far from here... He was old... He couldn't swim... I could make it, but he..."

"Oh."

"Oh."

After a moment of silence, one of the girls spoke again. "You made it to Fuso, at least."

"So you're Fuso witches, I guess."

"That's right." The witch who had offered her the food leaned down next to her. "I'm Yuki."

"Helene."

The harsher girl interrupted. "Tanimizu, head back for base, get help."

"Yes, Major." She scurried across the sand clumsily to get back into her unit. Helene watched her take off with far more grace than she'd had on the ground.

A ship arrived within an hour, and in another Helene had arrived at the witches' base. The base was full of witches, all hard at work. Two girls buzzed by overhead, and the Major barked at one as she flew by too close to the ground, barely missing Helene's scalp.

"So, I suppose we'll be housing you here for some time. No way to get you back to Karlsland with the Neuroi under control."

"I can't go home?"

"No. Karlsland has been evacuated."

"So I can't see my friends again?"

"There's no way to find them."

"Oh. Okay." Helene's voice cracked as she started to tear up, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "I guess I've lost everyone, not just my father."

The Major looked frightened, like she had never seen anyone cry before. "It's all right! You'll be all right! We'll be your new family, okay? Okay?"

"Okay." Helene started to sob harder.

"Ehhh! How about I go get someone more suited to, uh, this stuff?"

"Okay."

The Fusoan witches doted on Helene as if she were their new pet. They cooed complements to her as one of them brushed her hair, gently tugging at her tangles. Tears remained in her eyes, thoughts of her family buzzing about her mind like angry bees around their hive, but she choked them back more and more with each warm comment. The girls were also like bees, noisily going about the barracks. They were a group of trainees who had yet to see the dregs of battle, and each night was like a sleepover to them. They were surrounded by friends. Helene felt a bit outcast, despite all the attention. They all knew one another by name, they knew each other's quirks and strengths and weaknesses. Most of them had not even bothered to learn Helene's name.

"So, Karlsland," One would say, "Do you have any magic in you, or are you just here as our little cheerleader?"

"Well, I can, um..."

"Guess not." Another girl grinned, flopping down next to the first on her cot.

"But I want to become a witch too!"

"Really?"

"Yes! In fact, I bet you all the money I have on me that I could pilot a striker right now."

Some of the girls snickered, others looking on bewildered.

"Are you su-" The girl brushing her hair was interrupted.

"How much you got, Karlsland?"

Helene snatched a wad of currency from her pocket, slapping it down on the cushion.

Helene sneaked out of the base toward the hangar, three of the others trailing behind her. It was raining. She was barefoot, and the pant legs of her pajamas dragged through the mud, clinging to her skin tenaciously. The four of them ducked into the hangar out of the rain. Helene climbed into the unit without asking any questions. She shut her eyes and focused her mind on powering the magic engine and spinning the propellors. It was difficult, considering she had no idea where the magic engine was or what it looked like. She had lived a sheltered life back in Karlsland. Nobody had ever even considered that she would be in this position. One of the trainees made a quiet remark about turning back. At the end of her sentence, as if punctuating it, white ears appeared on her head, covered in curly fur. She gave the trainees a teasing look before taking off.


End file.
